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Wind direction and speed at different altitudes, day/night.

Asked by: 5130 views , ,
General Aviation, Private Pilot, Student Pilot, Weather

I am going through questions for the EASA PPL theory exam and there are a few question about the weather which I don't know how to answer. For example this one:

It is midnight at an aerodrome in the center of England. The surface wind is 120/05 KT. What would the 2000 ft wind be? The answer is: 160/20 KT.

I know that winds move in the clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere, so obviously at 2000 it would be 120+, I assume the winds get stronger too, but how do you calculate the direction and speed precisely? I cannot seem to find any formula. Also, is important to know the time of the day?

Thanks!

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1 Answers



  1. Skyfox on Sep 22, 2016

    I’ve never heard/read about a way to calculate wind shift at an altitude above the ground. The amount the wind shifts in both speed and direction varies based on highs, lows, and fronts in the region. Temperature inversions will also affect the wind shift. Not being familiar with the EASA test I can only assume they’re referring to some sort of rule of thumb rather than a calculation. If there is a formula to calculate, I’d be very interested to learn more.

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